Saturday, August 27, 2011

Mark Steyn: Depraved but not deprived

Not enough Westerners do not enough productive work for not enough of our lives.

By MARK STEYN

Syndicated columnist

Unlike many of my comrades in the punditry game, I don't do a lot of TV. But I'm currently promoting my latest doom-mongering bestseller so I'm spending more time than usual on the telly circuit. This week I was on the BBC's current-affairs flagship "Newsnight." My moment in the spotlight followed a report on the recent riots in English cities, in the course of which an undercover reporter interviewed various rioters from Manchester who'd had a grand old time setting their city ablaze and expressed no remorse over it. There then followed a studio discussion, along the usual lines. The host introduced a security guard who'd fought for Queen and country in Afghanistan and Bosnia and asked whether he sympathized with his neighbors. He did. When you live in an "impoverished society," he said, "people do what they have to do to survive."

Police officers apprehend a suspect in south London, Thursday Aug. 11, 2011, during a series of raids to recover property stolen during the recent civil disturbances.

AP Photo/Glenn Copus, Evening Standard, pool

When we right-wing madmen make our twice-a-decade appearance on mainstream TV, we're invariably struck by how narrow are the bounds of acceptable discourse in polite society. But in this instance I was even more impressed by how liberal pieties triumph even over the supposed advantages of the medium. Television, we're told, favors strong images – Nixon sweaty and unshaven, Kennedy groomed and glamorous, etc. But, in this instance, the security guard's analysis, shared by three-quarters of the panel, was entirely at odds with the visual evidence: There was no "impoverished society." The preceding film had shown a neat subdivision of pleasant red-brick maisonettes set in relatively landscaped grounds. There was grass, and it looked maintained. Granted, it was not as bucolic as my beloved New Hampshire, but, compared to the brutalized concrete bunkers in which the French and the Swedes entomb their seething Muslim populations, it was nothing to riot over. Nonetheless, someone explained that these riotous Mancunian youth were growing up in "deprivation," and the rioters themselves seemed disposed to agree. Like they say in "West Side Story," "I'm depraved on account of I'm deprived." We've so accepted the correlation that we don't even notice that they're no longer deprived, but they are significantly more depraved.

In fact, these feral youth live better than 90 percent of the population of the planet. They certainly live better than their fellow youths halfway around the world who go to work each day in factories across China and India to make the cool electronic toys young Westerners expect to enjoy as their birthright. In Britain, as in America and Europe, the young take it for granted that this agreeable division of responsibilities is as permanent a feature of life as the earth and sky: Rajiv and Suresh in Bangalore make the state-of-the-art gizmo, Kevin and Ron in Birmingham get to play with it. That's just the way it is. And, because that's the way it is, Kevin and Ron and the welfare state that attends their every need assume 'twill always be so.

To justify their looting, the looters appealed to the conventional desperation-of-deprivation narrative: They'd "do anything to get more money." Anything, that is, except get up in the morning, put on a clean shirt and go off to do a day's work. That concept is all but unknown to the homes in which these guys were raised. Indeed, "Newsnight" immediately followed the riot discussion with a report on immigration to Britain from Eastern Europe. Any tourist in London quickly accepts that, unless he hails a cab or gets mugged, he will never be served by a native Londoner: Polish baristas, Balkan waitresses, but, until the mob shows up to torch his hotel, not a lot of Cockneys. A genial Member of Parliament argued that the real issue underlying the riots is "education and jobs," but large numbers of employers seem to have concluded that, if you've got a job to offer, the best person to give it to is someone with the least exposure to a British education.

The rioters, meanwhile, have a crude understanding of how the system works. The proprietor of a Bang & Olufsen franchise revealed that the looters had expressed mystification as to why he objected to them stealing his goods. After all, he was insured, wasn't he? So the insurance would pay for his stolen TVs and DVD players, wouldn't it? The notion that, ultimately, someone has to pay for the insurance seemed to elude them, in the same way it seems to elude our elites that ultimately someone has to pay for Britain's system of "National Insurance" – or what Canada calls "Social Insurance" and America calls "Social Security."

The problem for the Western world is that it has incentivized nonproductivity on an industrial scale. For large numbers at the lower end of the spectrum (still quaintly referred to by British reporters as "working class") the ritual of work – of lifetime employment as a normal feature of life – has been all but bred out by multigenerational dependency. At the upper end of the spectrum, too many of us seem to regard an advanced Western society as the geopolitical version of a lavishly endowed charitable foundation that funds somnolent programming on NPR. I was talking to a trustiefundie Vermont student the other day who informed me her ambition is to "work for a non-profit."

"What kind of ambition is that?" I said, a little bewildered. But she meant it, and so do most of her friends. Doesn't care particularly what kind of "non-profit" it is: As long as no profits are involved, she's eager to run up a six-figure college debt for a piece of the non-action. The entire state of Vermont is becoming a non-profit. And so in a certain sense is an America that's 15 trillion dollars in the hole, and still cheerfully spending away.

In between the non-profit class and the non-working class, we have diverted too much human capital into a secure and undemanding bureaucracy-for-life: President Barack Obama has further incentivized statism as a career through his education "reforms," under which anyone who goes into "public service" will have their college loans forgiven after 10 years.

Why?

As I point out in my book, in the last six decades the size of America's state and local government workforce has increased over three times faster than the general population. Yet Obama says it's still not enough: The bureaucracy needs even more of our manpower. Up north, Canada is currently undergoing a festival of mawkish sub-Princess Di grief-feasting over the death from cancer of the Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Jack Layton's career is most instructive. He came from a family of successful piano manufacturers – in 1887 H A Layton was presented with a prize for tuning by Queen Victoria's daughter. But by the time Jack came along the family's private-sector wealth-creation gene had been pretty much tuned out for good: He was a career politician, so is his wife, and his son. They're giving him a state funeral because being chair of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative is apparently more admirable than being chairman of Layton Bros Pianos Ltd.

Again: Why?

The piano manufacturer pays for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, not the other way round. The private sector pays for the Vermont non-profits and the Manchester rioters and the entire malign alliance of the statism class and the dependency class currently crushing the Western world. America, Britain, Canada and Europe are operating on a defective business model: Not enough of us do not enough productive work for not enough of our lives. The numbers are a symptom, but the real problem, in the excuses for Manchester, in the obsequies in Ottawa, in the ambitions of Vermont, is the waste of human capital.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Kinky for Perry

Aug 24, 2011 7:45 PM EDT

Kinky Friedman once ran against Rick Perry for the Texas governorship. So would the singer and writer vote for him for president? Hell, yes! The world’s most famous Jewish cowboy on why he wants to live in Rick Perry’s America.

Rick Perry has never lost an election; I’ve never won one. Maybe that’s what’s wrong with the world. On the other hand, I’ve long been friends with Bill Clinton and George W., and Rick Perry and I, though at times bitter adversaries, have remained friends as well. It’s not always easy to maintain friendships with politicians. To paraphrase Charles Lamb, you have to work at it like some men toil after virtue.

I have been quoted as saying that when I die, I am to be cremated, and the ashes are to be thrown in Rick Perry’s hair. Yet, simply put, Rick Perry and I are incapable of resisting each other’s charm. He is not only a good sport, he is a good, kindhearted man, and he once sat in on drums with ZZ Top. A guy like that can’t be all bad.

When I ran for governor of Texas as an independent in 2006, the Crips and the Bloods ganged up on me. When I lost, I drove off in a 1937 Snit, refusing to concede to Perry. Three days later Rick called to give me a gracious little pep talk, effectively talking me down from jumping off the bridge of my nose. Very few others were calling at that time, by the way. Such is the nature of winning and losing and politicians and life. You might call what Rick did an act of random kindness. Yet in my mind it made him more than a politician, more than a musician; it made him a mensch.

These days, of course, I would support Charlie Sheen over Obama. Obama has done for the economy what pantyhose did for foreplay. Obama has been perpetually behind the curve. If the issue of the day is jobs and the economy, Rick Perry is certainly the nuts-and-bolts kind of guy you want in there.

Even though my pal and fellow Texan Paul Begala has pointed out that no self-respecting Mexican would sneak across the border for one of Rick Perry’s low-level jobs, the stats don’t entirely lie. Compared with the rest of the country, Texas is kicking major ass in terms of jobs and the economy, and Rick should get credit for that, just as Obama should get credit for saying “No comment” to the young people of the Iranian revolution.

More to the point, could Rick Perry fix the economy? Hell, yes! Texas is exhibit A; Rick’s fingerprints are all over it. He’s been governor since Christ was a cowboy. The Lone Star State is booming. The last time I checked, Texas is kicking in a hell of a lot of the U.S. GDP. Unemployment is lower than the vast majority of the other states. Hell, we could probably even find a job for Paul Begala.

As a Jewish cowboy (or “Juusshh,” as we say in Texas), I know Rick Perry to be a true friend of Israel, like Bill Clinton and George W. before him. There exists a visceral John Wayne kinship between Israelis and Texans, and Rick Perry gets it. That’s why he’s visited Israel on many more occasions than Obama, who’s been there exactly zero times as president. If I were Obama I wouldn’t go either. His favorability rating in Israel once clocked in at 4 percent. Say what you will about the Israelis, but they are not slow out of the chute. They know who their friends are.

On the topic of the Holy Land, there remains the little matter of God. God talks to televangelists, football coaches, and people in mental hospitals. Why shouldn’t he talk to Rick Perry? In the spirit of Joseph Heller, I have a covenant with God. I leave him alone and he leaves me alone. If, however, I have a big problem, I ask God for the answer. He tells Rick Perry. And Rick tells me.

So would I support Rick Perry for president? Hell, yes! As the last nail that hasn’t been hammered down in this country, I agree with Rick that there are already too damn many laws, taxes, regulations, panels, committees, and bureaucrats. While Obama is busy putting the hyphen between “anal” and “retentive” Rick will be rolling up his sleeves and getting to work.

A still, small voice within keeps telling me that Rick Perry’s best day may yet be ahead of him, and so too, hopefully, will be America’s.

Kinky Friedman is a country music singer, politician, Texas Monthly columnist, the author of a successful mystery series, and was a candidate for Texas governor in 2006. His most recent book is Kinky’s Celebrity Pet Files. You can visit his website here.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Ballots or Bullets?

Ballot Box Barriers to Restoring Constitutional Integrity

"We should be unfaithful to ourselves if we should ever lose sight of the danger to our Liberties if anything partial or extraneous should infect the purity of our free, fair, virtuous, and independent elections. If an election is to be determined by a majority of a single vote, and that can be procured by a party through artifice or corruption, the Government may be the choice of a party for its own ends, not of the nation for the national good." --John Adams, Inaugural Address, 1797

Conservatives, particularly those resolute constitutional constructionists who identify with the much-maligned Tea Party Movement, rightly understand, as did Ronald Reagan, that "government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem." That is why we are advocating for the restoration of constitutional limits on the central government.

Conversely, the growing ranks of leftists in Congress, some 80 of whom are openly members of the Socialist Party of America's Congressional Progressive Caucus, led by Reps. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) and Keith Ellison (D-MN), subscribe to the notion that government is both the engine and the drive train of our nation's economy.

But if Essential Liberty and Rule of Law as enshrined in our Constitution are to survive, then free enterprise must be their economic engine. At present, however, that engine is attempting to pull an ever more bloated government trailer -- a trailer so overloaded as to bring the economy to a dead stop.

How bloated?

Obama's government programs will amass a $1.3 trillion deficit in fiscal year 2011 alone, some $400 billion more than the paltry $917 billion in savings to which Congress agreed over the next decade under the recent budget deal and corresponding debt-ceiling increase.

This oppressive bloat -- and our elected leaders' utterly inadequate response to it -- will serve as fodder for much of the political debate ahead of the 2012 election. Indeed, the future of Liberty depends on the successful defeat of enough congressional leftists to provide strong conservative majorities in both the House and Senate. Moreover, Liberty hangs in the balance of the upcoming presidential election. While conservatives recaptured the House of Representatives in 2010, the first effective step to restrain Obama's agenda, only a conservative president can begin to undo the damage done to our nation by the Obama regime.

However, do we still have the luxury of political solutions, via elections, to salvage what is left of our Republic? Is the ballot box still a viable method to restore constitutional integrity?

As John Adams once warned, we must be vigilantly on guard against all contagions that would "infect the purity of our free, fair, virtuous, and independent elections."

These contagions, these obstacles, are as follows, roughly in order of threat magnitude: an ignorant electorate; candidates who are unable to articulate the difference between Rule of Law and rule of men; institutionalized dependency on the state, including the fact that 40 percent of Americans pay no federal income tax; forced redistribution of wealth; comfort, complacency and indifference; Leftmedia dezinformatsia; opposition by the leftist elite; and, finally, the conferring of legal status upon illegal immigrants in order to fortify Democrat voter constituencies illegitimately.

The most significant obstacle to restoring liberty by way of the electoral process is the fact that so many Americans know so little about civics or civic responsibility. When it comes to getting government right, ignorance is not bliss.

It follows, then, that there is a dearth of qualified candidates who are able to articulate the difference between Rule of Law and rule of men, who instead get lost in the high weeds of lesser political issues.

A majority of Americans are beneficiaries of some combination of thousands of government schemes to redistribute wealth. The resulting institutionalized dependency on the state is insidious, as it results in reliable votes for whichever party (read: the Democrat Party) can take the most from one group and redistribute it to another. It's no wonder that the most recent Index of Dependence on Government (2010) reports the greatest single-year percentage rise in dependence since 1976.

As Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) recently noted, Obama's "intent is to create dependency because it worked so well for him."

Additionally, 40 percent of Americans pay no federal income taxes. This huge voting bloc thus has no (apparent) stake in our nation's fiscal health, and its voters are thereby motivated to use their ballots to keep the government largess spewing.

As 19th-century political economist Frederic Bastiat noted, "Government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else."

The forced redistribution of wealth pushed the Cost of Government Day to 12 August this year, which means that the average American tax payer must now work 224 days to fund all taxes, and hidden regulatory taxes, imposed by the central government. That date is 27 days later than in 2008, and it now consumes more than 60 percent of national earned income. There are endless regulatory costs on the horizon, such as Obama's new fuel economy standards which according to a study conducted by the Center for Automotive Research, will increase the average retail price of motor vehicles more than $11,000.

As government takes more, individuals have less to live their lives and to support Liberty advocacy organizations like The Patriot Post.

Of course, comfort, complacency and indifference, particularly among wealthy "Republicans" who contribute little to sustain our legacy of Liberty for our posterity, undermine the potential for sustaining Liberty by way of the ballot box.

In response to such indifference, Samuel Adams advised, "If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!"

Meanwhile, Leftmedia indoctrination and thriving financial support for wealthy left-elite socialist causes continue to twist public opinion and ensure the success of leftist candidates and policies.

While these are certainly formidable obstacles to the rejection of socialism and successful restoration of constitutional integrity, they are not insurmountable. Still, when generations of Americans have been inculcated with the belief that they are entitled to so much from the state, it may take a generation or more to re-educate them, and to stave off the violence that often erupts when the state fails to meet their expectations as witnessed recently in Greece and England.

The question remains: Are we irrevocably locked into the Cycle of Democracy? Recall that this evolves from bondage to spiritual faith; spiritual faith to great courage; courage to Liberty (Rule of Law); Liberty to abundance; abundance to complacency; complacency to apathy; apathy to dependence; and from dependence back into bondage (rule of men).

At the close of the first American Revolution, George Washington wrote, "No country upon earth ever had it more in its power to attain these blessings [of Liberty] than United America. Wondrously strange, then, and much to be regretted indeed would it be, were we to neglect the means and to depart from the road which Providence has pointed us to so plainly; I cannot believe it will ever come to pass."

We have already veered from that road. Is there time to use the ballot box to attain a new dawn for Liberty, or are we destined to dependence and bondage, which will require another renewal of faith and courage?

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

"BREAKING NEWS! President Obama has just confirmed that the DC earthquake occurred on a rare and obscure fault-line, apparently known as "Bush's Fault". Obama also announced that the Secret Service and Maxine Waters continue an investigation of the quake's suspicious ties to the Tea Party. Conservatives however have proven that it was caused by the founding fathers rolling over in their graves" Here is a picture of what our fearless leader was doing when the earth quake hit the east coast. WOW! Out on the golf course during an earth quake! The man is fearless!

Note: there is a link to a separate post detailing the positive things that Rick Perry supporters are saying about him at the end of this piece.

[Last updated: 8/22/2011]

This is a continuation of part 1 of a collection of critical statements made against Governor Rick Perry of Texas. The rather long article was broken into two parts to imporve download time, which had become excessive.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I voted for Perry in each of the three gubernatorial elections since 2002 and I am a conservative and a registered Republican. It was easy for me to vote for Perry since the alternative(s) were either uber-RINOs in the primaries or liberal Democrats in the general elections. Under the circumstances, my choice was always easy.

In that spirit, I do realize that anyone who reads this summary has a right to be skeptical of my facts. I therefore invite those who might dispute my findings to challenge them by verifying what I’ve presented here. And cross-check via reliable sources rather than relying on a single posting by some anonymous blogger – some spout “facts” which have no basis in the truth. I will identify the source of my data and in many cases, I'll provide a link to the source so you can see for yourself ... the real facts. And one more thing, you'll note that none of my information comes from any Perry-controlled site. I do have quotes from some of his sources, but only items that are specifically identified as a quote - no campaign rhetoric.

Following is part two of subjects that are claimed by detractors to be Rick Perry’s failings – they are in no particular order.

9. Perry turned down $555 million in federal stimulus, yet later asked for federal disaster aid for Texas wildfires

That’s true. The reason that Perry gave for refusing that particular “stimulus” was that it was a one-time, temporary influx of money to assist in covering extended unemployment benefits, but had strings attached (the most serious was that the funding would only last about two years). After that, the state would have to find a way to continue the higher payments covered by the federal funding. In other words, it was a one-time, kick-the-can-down-the-road temporary funding that didn’t permanently fix anything and would leave Texas liable for replacing the $555 million when the federal money ran out. Instead Perry got a federal loan to cover the state's unemployment fund shortfall. While a loan still must be repaid, it didn't come with the extra burden of federal mandates that accompanied the $555 million stimulus funding. Thus, he avoided the federal meddling that was part of the original stimulus while still shoring up the state's unemployment fund.

It is true that Governor Perry did accept part of the $787 billion Recovery Act money and used those funds to cover the state's budget shortfall. Perry has never said that he would never accept federal funds, he has just been careful to decline when the funds came with unacceptable federal intrusion in state affairs attached.

Relative to the wildfires: Over 2.2 million acres of Texas land in 252 counties were lost to wildfires in 2011 due to severe dry conditions caused by drought. Across the state, hundreds of homes and countless livestock have been lost. As a result, Texas Governor Rick Perry requested a Major Disaster Declaration (MDD) and federal emergency funds to assist in fighting the ongoing fires. President Obama refused to issue a Major Disaster Declaration, originally requested on April 16, and instead provided lesser federal assistance for fires fought only between April 6 and May 3, 2011, covering just a fraction of the fires fought in Texas so far this season. A Major Disaster Declaration would have made the state eligible for much more response and recovery assistance from the federal government. Major Disaster aid is an entirely different type of federal aid and is specifically designed to assist states when natural disasters occur. Many in Texas believe that the MDD was withheld for political reasons.

It is hardly hypocritical to refuse federal funding with unacceptable strings attached while requesting federal disaster aid when a natural disaster occurs. It is the federal government’s responsibility to provide disaster relief, one of the few things they have an obligation to the states to fulfill.

10. Perry says he has not raised taxes, but he has

When Perry states that “we don’t raise taxes.” That’s such a broad generalization that it can’t possibly be 100% factual. And it is not. Perry has raised about half a dozen taxes during his tenure, including three 2006 changes that helped cover reductions in school property taxes, being essentially revenue neutral. He also signed into law tax increases on cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, fireworks, and diesel equipment. He also implemented a change to the business franchise tax law that increased the franchise tax that businesses pay to operate in Texas – that was an actual business tax increase.

Another tax that has gone up on his watch is the unemployment tax that is paid by Texas businesses. While the tax rate fell steadily from 2004 through 2008, the rate rose in 2009 and 2010 largely due to the national economic downturn. However, the state unemployment rate is set automatically based on the balances in the state’s unemployment fund and is independent of any gubernatorial action, thus Perry is not liable for that one.

Perry has managed to keep taxes low during his 10-year tenure as governor. Countless opportunities to raise taxes presented themselves during Perry's ten years as governor, yet he resisted the temptation. Texas was ranked 49th among the states in per-capita taxes, at $1,434 a year in 2005, according to a 2009 Census Bureau report and a Texas Public Policy Foundation analysis (Feb., 2011) shows Texas with a 7.9% combined state/local tax burden, ranking it 45th among the states - for comparison, New York's burden is 12.1%.

After 10 years in office, with ample opportunities to raise taxes, Perry has maintained an enviable record as a low-tax governor.

Currently, Texas imposes no tax on personal income or capital gains. Perry remains opposed to a Texas state income tax and recently vetoed a proposed Internet state sales tax. Perry supports a balanced U.S. budget and a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

In his first veto of the year, governor Perry vetoed the Internet sales tax bill (HB 2403). That's just one more reason for Texas' low cost of living. Many other states have already enacted new laws to require all Internet sellers to collect a state's sales tax (regardless of nexus) and others are feverishly getting on the bandwagon - drawn like a moth to a flame - to grab and spend this new source of previously out-of-reach revenue.

11. Perry has presided over the highest number of executions in the nation

Be aware that I used the term "presided over" because that's the way that several critical comments characterized Perry's position. Nothing could be further from the truth. Perry did not "preside" over the trials, nor the jury's decisions, nor did he act as judge. He did not preside over the multitude of appeals that are common in capital cases and he was not part of court decisions that denied a new trial. He was simply in office when these events occurred. He could issue a one-time thirty-day reprieve otherwise, short of a recommendation from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, his only option was to grant the reprieve or allow the execution to proceed. That's it.

231 executions have taken place while Perry was governor. He commuted the death sentence for 31 inmates – mostly those where the defendant was a juvenile at the time of the crime.

Governor Perry followed Texas law. He has done exactly what a Texas governor is bound by law to do. Barring a recommendation from the Board of Pardons and Parole, he cannot unilaterally grant anything other than a single 30-day reprieve, at the end of which (barring a court order) the execution proceeds.

It’s one thing to be against the death penalty on moral grounds, in that case, work to change the laws. But in a nation built on laws, we are bound to abide by the law – even those we may find objectionable. When an individual has been tried in court, found guilty and exhausted all of the appeals available to them, there comes a time when the sentence must be carried out – that’s the law.

12. Perry refused to consider commuting the execution of Mexican national Humberto Leal Garcia even though it had been requested by the U.N. and the White House

Humberto Leal Garcia was sentenced to death for the 1994 rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl. Leal, a mechanic, was born in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, in 1973 and moved to the USA when he was two years old, but never became a United States citizen. He was an illegal immigrant.

On May 21, 1994, Leal kidnapped, raped, tortured, and murdered 16-year-old Adria Sauceda. Police discovered the girl's nude body on a dirt road in San Antonio in May 1994. Evidence showed she had been gang-raped, bitten, strangled and bludgeoned to death.

She and Leal had been attending a party not far from where she was found. She became intoxicated at the party and Leal is said to have offered to drive her home. Leal carried an intoxicated semi-conscious Sauceda into his car. When Leal placed Sauceda in his car she was clothed. When Sauceda’s body was later discovered she was nude.

Leal was the last known individual to see Sauceda alive.

Official court documents state "There was a 30- to 40-pound asphalt rock roughly twice the size of the victim's skull lying partially on the victim's left arm; Blood was underneath this rock. A smaller rock with blood on it was located near the victim's right thigh.” There was also a 15 inch long stick extending out of her vagina, with a screw at the end. Leal claimed that she fell and hit her head. No one was charged in the gang rape.

Among other evidence, the bite mark was matched to Leal. Her bloody blouse was found at Leal's home, and Leal confessed to police and his brother that he had killed Sauceda.

The complaint is that even though the 38-year-old Mexican national had lived in the United States since he was 2 years old, he was not granted access to the Mexican consul prior to making incriminating statements (his confession).

In a letter to Texas Governor Rick Perry, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights asked that he commute the sentence to life in prison. "If the scheduled execution of Mr. Leal Garcia goes ahead, the United States government will have implemented a death penalty after a trial that did not comply with due process rights," said Christof Heyns, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. "This will be tantamount to an arbitrary deprivation of life."

In its 30-page brief, the Obama administration said that complying with its obligations to notify consuls in such cases would serve U.S.interests as well as those of the condemned man. “It would place the United States in irreparable breach of its international-law obligation to provide consular notification and assistance under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations," wrote Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli Jr., in a friend-of-the-court brief.

Leal had the benefit of 45 separate hearings and appeals before his execution and his guilt was beyond question.

Update: On July 7, 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to stay the execution on a 5-4 vote and Leal was executed via lethal injection. In his last minutes, Humberto Leal repeatedly said he was sorry and accepted responsibility – admitting his actions for the first time since his original confession, "I have hurt a lot of people. ... I take full blame for everything. I am sorry for what I did," he said in the death chamber before shouting twice, “Viva Mexico!”.

13. Cameron Todd Willingham – was he an innocent man?

This is a troubling case. Willingham was executed by lethal injection in 2004 after being convicted of setting a fire that killed his three daughters before Christmas 1991. But his case and the ensuing controversy frame the death penalty in a new way: whether Perry used his power as governor to try to dodge responsibility for presiding over the execution of a potentially innocent man. Again, that term "presiding" - a term specifically designed to make it appear that he had more responsibility in the execution than is true.

At Willingham's trial, Texas fire investigators said they found clear indicators that the fire at the Willingham home in the small town of Corsicana had been intentionally set. By the time of Willingham's execution in February, 2004, the science of fire investigation had dramatically advanced and what investigators had for decades considered telltale signs of arson were no longer considered reliable.

In the final days before Willingham was put to death, his lawyer filed with the courts a report from Gerald Hurst, one of the nation's most renowned fire scientists. Hurst's four-page report asserted for the first time in the case that the indicators of arson the investigators cited had been debunked by scientific advances. The fire, Hurst concluded, might well have been an accident - he did not state categorically that it was an accident. Perry reviewed the report and determined it did not present new information, only new opinion. He also decided it did not merit a stay of execution.

Under Texas law, the Governor can only issue a one-time temporary 30-day stay of execution. Any other clemency or commutation of sentence must be recommended to the Governor by the state’s Pardons and Paroles board. None was forthcoming in the Willingham case.

Lucy Nashed, a Perry spokeswoman said, "Willingham's conviction was reviewed and upheld by multiple levels of state and federal courts, including nine federal courts - four times by the U.S. Supreme Court alone - over the course of more than a decade."

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles reviewed the latest evidence and refused to recommend that Governor Perry act in this case. Governor Perry independently decided that the evidence did not warrant a stay and he allowed Willingham’s execution to proceed in accordance with his responsibility as Governor.

Did Texas execute an innocent man? In a case that could not have been overturned based on something as definitive as DNA evidence and seven years after the 2004 execution, there’s no way to be 100% sure, but under Texas law, the most that Perry could have done was issue a single 30-day stay. When someone takes the position that Willingham was "innocent," that person is intentionally ignoring all of the legal maneuvers that occurred and is basing that determination on "feelings." He was never deemed "innocent" by any legal authority.

If one Googles "Cameron Todd Willingham" the majority of the hits will be different shadings of the same story line, that of those against the death penalty (Innocence Project, etc.). Every attempt is made to cast doubt on the evidence that Willingham was guilty, especially using quotes from "experts" in the field of fire science. The problem is that many of the quotes are massaged to remove any doubt and make them appear as unquestioned facts, when most stated that the fire could have been accidental. For someone really interested in the truth of the case, one must also have access to the other side of the issue. Here is a link to an interview with the Dallas Morning News by Dudley Sharp who was investigating the "innocence" of Willingham. Willingham's "innocence" was never established, and none of his appeals gave the appellate courts reason to call for a new trial.

The charge that Perry was knowingly complicit in executing an innocent man is without merit. He rejected the last evidence (the Hurst report) as a reason to stay Willingham's execution, just as the US Supreme Court, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals had. His case was tried, appealed, and adjudicated according to the law.

But Perry's critics don't give up so easily. As another point of attack, they accuse him of replacing the members of the Forensics Science Commission (FSC) two days before the formal hearing because, they maintain, the commission was going to submit a finding that did not support the governor's position on Willingham' s guilt.

Not only is that position based on an incorrect supposition, it is also obviously biased.

Perry did replace the members because: 1) their terms had expired and appointing new members was standard policy, and 2) pushing back the date of the FSC hearing would allow more time for the Corsicana Fire Department (CFDR) and Texas Fire Marshall’s office (TFMR) to respond to the Beyler report (BR). Both were expected to be critical of the Beyler Report. Pushing back the date of the formal hearing also gave the new FSC members time to get up to speed on the details of the case.

The preliminary CFDR blasted the BR on some obvious and important points, making over a hundred comments and corrections to Beyler’s 19 page review of the Willingham case. It made the case that the Beyler report was both inaccurate and biased. The final determination awaits completed CFDR and TFMR reports.

13. Perry supports giving in-state tuition to illegals

This is true. Perry signed the bill six years ago. Under the law, any student who has lived in Texas at least three years and graduated from a Texas high school qualifies for in-state tuition. The law also requires noncitizens to apply for citizenship. "I'm for leaving the law like it is because I think it serves a good purpose," Perry said. Texas was one of the first states to pass an in-state tuition bill for illegal immigrants. Ten states currently have such laws, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. About 12,138 children of immigrants got in-state tuition in 2009, about 1 percent of students in Texas trade schools, colleges, and universities. Of that number, 8,406 were in community and technical schools, only 3,725 at universities, and 7 at health-related institutes. Read a good summary of the current status of this issue here at a Dallas Morning News article.

Critics have said it gives a financial advantage to illegal immigrants while U.S. citizens who are not Texas residents still must pay out-of-state tuition rates, which are higher. Personally, I don't like giving illegals a favorable tuition rate over other state's legal residents. I understand his reasoning, but I don't have to like it. I do think that there was some pandering to the Mexican immigrants (legal and illegal) behind the overwhelming votes for this bill.

As a measure of Texas’ version of the “Dream Act,” popularity, it should be noted that it passed the Texas Senate with NO “no” votes – Perry was not out on a limb on this one, it was overwhelmingly supported. It should also be noted that the Texas "Dream" act should not be confused with the federal version. The Texas version relates to higher education only whereas the federal act alsso facilitates giving legal status to children who entered the U.S. illegally with their parents.

14. Rick Perry is gay

A story by Politico predicts that if Texas governor Rick Perry runs for president, he will again have to deal with unproven rumors that he’s gay. Meanwhile, the story itself is helping spread the rumors once more.

As example of the “evidence” that Perry is gay, some have noted that he was a "cheerleader" (and thus, likely to be gay). In fact, he was a Yell Leader, one of five supporting Texas A & M sports teams. Since the school was founded in 1876 and didn’t even admit female students until 1963, no female has been elected to Yell Leader, only men – it’s a tradition thing, not a gay thing.

While running for Governor in 2004,Texas state Democrats asked Perry to address the rumors. In a press conference Perry denied the rumors that he was gay, yet for some his denial raised more questions than it answered.

For his part, Perry continues to be staunchly antigay. He plans to host a prayer-apalooza in August, 2011 at a Houston football stadium, and organizers have confirmed that praying to end homosexuality’s effect on society is on the agenda. The big event is being run in partnership with the American Family Association, which is categorized by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a “hate group” for its spreading misinformation that the SPLC says is dangerous to gay people.

In the past, Perry has been described as "homophobic." His conservative Christian posturing has offended many liberals and others concerned with equal treatment under the law for the gay and lesbian community.

Here a statement from Instinct Magazine, a gay publication: "Sheeple worried about Rick Perry's ambiguous statements in support of a state's right to pass marriage equality last week can unclench their booties; the Texas Governor and possible 2012 GOP presidential candidate wants to remind you that he is still a raging anti-equality homophobe."

How does one disprove unsubstantiated accusations except by denying them and by pointing out the absence of any evidence to the contrary? Those critics who maintain that Perry is homophobic and those who believe him to be gay should get together and work it out.

15. Perry is a “weak” Governor (the Governor of a state that limits the Governor’s powers)

This is true – but doesn't tell the full story. Texas does limit the governor’s powers as compared to many other states, but to conclude that the governor is merely a figurehead, with little power or influence, is simply wrong. Once again, critics are trying to diminish Perry's achievements by denigrating his part in Texas' successes, as if his participation as governor was inconsequential.

The formal powers of a governor are measured by using four factors: tenure of office, appointive/administrative powers, budgetary powers, and legislative powers.

The Texas governor has the strongest tenure of office in that he is elected to four-year terms and there are no term limits.

The Texas governor’s appointive powersare limited by the state’s plural executive structure, meaning that he or she cannot count on the loyalty, support, or cooperation of other members of the executive branch. Some of them may even belong to the opposition party. In Texas, the lieutenant governor, attorney general, comptroller of public accounts, state land commissioner, agricultural commissioner, Railroad Commission, and Texas State Board of Education are all elected by voters, not appointed by the governor.

Unlike most other state governors, the Texas governor has very restricted budgetary powers. In Texas, it is the Legislative Budget Board, dominated by the speaker and lieutenant governor that presents a budget to the legislature for approval. A Texas governor's most significant budgetary power is the line-item veto power over the state budget bill. Because the legislature has often adjourned within days of the budget bill reaching the governor's desk, they often have no opportunity to override the governor's line-item veto.

In terms of legislative power, the Texas governor's veto power is very strong because gubernatorial vetoes or item vetoes are rarely overridden because the legislature has already adjourned by the time that the governor exercises the veto. In Rick Perry's case, he has vetoed 273 bills since his first term in 2001. He's not timid about his veto power. The governor also has the power to call additional special sessions of the legislature and is not limited to the number of special sessions he/she calls.

In comparison to other states: thirty other state’s governors were ranked as having more power than Texas’ chief executive, seventeen are ranked about equal, and three had even less power. In summary, Texas limits the governor's power primarily in two areas, appointive and budgetary. The weakness in the appointive aspect is because in Texas, most of the other executives are elected, not appointed. And as noted above, the legislature has primary responsibility for drafting a budget. HERE is a link to a University of North Carolina chart which ranks the power of each state's chief executive - using 2007 conditions.

The low comparative ranking of the Texas governor is consistent with the traditionalistic and individualistic political culture of the state. In other words, it is intentional, not accidental. Judging by Texas' success, perhaps some other states might want to consider reducing the power of their governors too?

16. Texas’ abysmal rankings on various lists

These rankings were selected by critics for one purpose, and that is to smear Texas and by association, Rick Perry.

No sources have been cited for the rankings, thereby preventing a reader from verifying that: 1) the numbers were accurately reported, 2) they are from a reliable source, and 3) the original context is known.

Nevertheless, we’ll treat them as if they are true and offer a reason to explain such a dismal performance. The rankings themselves (assuming that they’re true) are not anything that the state or Rick Perry should take pride in achieving.

But, the biggest single factor that affects the state’s ranking in almost anything that uses population as a factor, is an estimated 1.6 million illegal immigrants currently residing in Texas. Source: Pew Hispanic Center. (Ten states have populations that are less than 1.6 million).

After all, if the federal government was doing what is clearly their responsibility (controlling the border), Texas wouldn’t have 1,600,000 illegal residents. Think for a moment, how would your state cope with 1.6 million more illegal immigrants? What would that influx do to your state’s rankings?

For example, here is one of the rankings relating to high school graduations, Texas is said to be ranked:

1st in the percentage of people over 25 without a high school diploma

This position suffers from the impact that 1.6 million illegals have on the Texas rankings. Most illegal immigrants don’t come to Texas bringing a high school diploma with them and they don’t come to the U.S. to finish high school, they come to work. Though they are counted in the census, few will have graduated, resulting in a disproportionate number of Texas residents without high school diplomas.

And here is another group of awful Texas rankings:

1st in percentage of uninsured children

1st in percentage of non-elderl­y uninsured

1st in percentage of population uninsure

When one considers that fully 38% of Hispanics in Texas do not have health insurance (that’s almost 3.5 million people, more than the population of 17 states), it’s not surprising that the state would show up poorly on national rankings of residents insured. Over 17.5% of the Hispanic population in Texas is illegal. Those factors, along with the high cost of health insurance and the income level of the illegal residents explain why the state would rank high in uninsured residents.

Here’s another one, Texas is

3rd in percentage of people living below the poverty level

Once again, the ranking will be badly skewed by illegal immigrants. The Pew Center estimates that 21% of Hispanics living in Texas are below the poverty level and since 17.5% of the Hispanic population are illegal, that amounts to approximately 336,299 illegal residents below the poverty level. Once again, more than enough to skew the rankings.

There are only two ways to improve these rankings, 1) reduce the number of illegals, or 2) increase tazes to pay for the additional help they will need. It may not be compassionate, but Texans generally will not vote to increase taxes to pay for illegal immigrant support.

17. Rick Perry is way too chummy with Muslims

“Perry has had a surprisingly warm relationship with Muslims as governor,” says Mohamed Elbiary, founder of the Freedom and Justice Foundation, a Muslim public policy organization in Texas.

His record indicates that Perry has had a “respectful” relationship with at least one particular group of Muslims, the Ismailis. Perry’s relatively good relations with the group has already sparked distrust among some conservative bloggers. It is sometimes wise to remember that the governor is the governor of all Texans, without exclusion.

“We’ve seen him for 20 years at state level, as lieutenant governor and state governor,” Mr. Elbiary says. “Throughout that whole history, he’s never taken an anti-Muslim or anti-Islam position. He’s a live-and-let-live type of Texan, and relations have been good.” It should be noted that while Perry has remained “respectful” to Muslims, he has been a staunch, unwavering supporter of Israel.

The governor - like other American politicians (from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to President John F. Kennedy) - has built a relationship with the Aga Khan (head of the Ismailis) based on respect and mutual interest, one that could be carried into the White House if Perry gets elected. Here is another source for an analysis of Perry’s ties to Aga Khan. It also includes the complete lesson plan for what critics have called “Perry’s Pro-Sharia School Curriculum.”

In fact, Perry’s relations with the Ismailis, a Shia sect of Islam whose adherents number between 30,000 and 40,000 in Texas and 15 to 20 million worldwide, have been particularly positive, says Mahmoud Eboo, President of the Ismaili Council for the USA. "I believe that Governor Perry’s leadership philosophy has been to serve Texans of all races and religions and his relationship with the Muslim community generally and the Ismaili community in particular has been cordial and respectful," Mr. Eboo says in an email.

I’ve seen many accusations that reference CAIR’s support of Perry for President, but they all emanate from the same single source – (I won’t give her any publicity), I’ve not found any other independent source for CAIR support of Perry.

CAIR supposedly was upset that Perry didn’t invite them to the “Response” prayer event in Houston. They even teamed up with the ACLU to protest the exclusion. Why on earth would they have wanted to be at a Christian event anyway?

He also took a stand to stop the Gaza flotilla boat, "The Audacity of Hope" with his June 28 letter asking Eric Holder to bring the flotilla participants to justice for violating US law and he has never appointed a Muslim to any significant government position (including Judgeships) in Texas.

I've not found any evidence of Perry being supportive of any Muslim group other than the previously mentioned Ismaili group. And since the Islamailis are a persecuted Shia minority in Saudia Arabia, that probably means that the Saudis may not like Perry’s association with them either.

Rather than reaching out - as both presidents Bush and Obama mistakenly did - to problematic organizations associated with the Muslim Brotherhood’s expressly political agenda, Perry’s choice to engage with a more “progressive” group should be a good sign.

And on the New York mosque issue: When Perry was questioned about a mosque near ground-zero in New York, he said, "To build a mosque near Ground Zero would be insensitive to the victims and families of 9/11 and would make the healing process much more difficult for everyone that was touched by this tragedy."

He continued, “I'm a big believer in freedom of religion but believe it would be best for all involved to put the facility elsewhere." "However, zoning is a local responsibility and as a staunch supporter of the 10th Amendment, I do not think the federal government should take steps to intercede or overrule the wishes of local residents. The citizens of New York City will decide the fate of this building." There's that 10th Amendment again.

In a nominating race where every candidate is vying for the Christian conservative vote, a critical part of the GOP’s base, Perry will likely be criticized for his relationship with the Muslim community in Texas, says one professor of political science.

Another thing that should be considered when vetting Perry on the Muslim/Islam issue is his support of Israel. Governor Perry has been a staunch supporter of Israel. After a trip to the area in 2007, the governor supported Texas’ divestment from companies that do business with Iran, a main opponent of Israeli freedom. Additionally, the Texas-Israel Chamber of Commerce was created to help launch future commercial interests and solidify the strong business and cultural connections between the two states.

In 2009, Gov. RickPerry received the Defender of Jerusalem Award, given to public figures who have demonstrated support and commitment to the state of Israel and its capitol, Jerusalem. The governor accepted the award while on his trip to Israel, where he also met with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and business and academic leaders.

During that trip, Perry gave an interview to the Jerusalem Post in which he affirmed his support for Israel, “I’m a big believer that this country was given to the people of Israel a long time ago, by God, and that’s ordained.”

This year, the House has passed six of 12 bills and moved nine through the Appropriations Committee. The Senate has passed one bill through committee, for military construction and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Every Republican presidential candidate should pound on the Obama-Reid-Pelosi dysfunction in the Congress. There is no excuse for the Senate's refusal to get its basic work done.

The obvious explanation is that the president and the key Democrats in Congress want another CR showdown and hopefully a government shutdown which will again divert attention from the miserable economy that their policies have brought about.

The Hill, the Post and the Examiner ought to keep a focus on the paralysis in the Senate and distinguishing it from the House, where John Boehner and Eric Cantor have kept the business of the Congress moving.

Airing Harry Reid’s Dirty Laundry

A Western Journalism Exclusive By Steve Baldwin

Senator Harry Reid claims to be an ethical politician and he often employs his Mormon religion in order to demonstrate his alleged immaculacy. However, the reality is that he is, in fact, one of the most ethically challenged politicians in office today. This report will review his alliances with corrupt individuals, his support of ACORN, his ties with organized crime figures and his chronic failure to comply with campaign finance laws.

Harry Reid’s Alliance with Jack Abramoff

Soon after the Jack Abramoff scandal broke, Reid took the lead in attacking Republicans for fostering a “culture of corruption.” (1)

But shortly after making these comments, it was reported that Reid took almost $68,000 from Abramoff’s firm, its PAC and its Indian casino clients. (2)

Reid then tried to distance himself from Abramoff, stating, “[D]on’t lump me in with Jack Abramoff. This is a Republican scandal. Don’t try to give any of it to me.” (3)

Here’s the key passage:

Harry Reid wrote at least four letters helpful in Indian tribes represented by Jack Abramoff, and Reid’s staff had frequent contact with the disgraced lobbyist’s team about legislation….Reid collected nearly $68,000 in political donations from Abramoff’s firm, lobbying partners and clients…Abramoff’s firm also hired one of Reid’s top legislative aides as a lobbyist. (4)

The bulk of the donation money came from Indian tribes who were Abramoff’s clients, most of whom owned casinos in the region. Reid’s letters were meant to influence the Interior Department to reject applications that would allow certain Indian tribes to open up new casinos. Reid was not acting in opposition to gambling, but was rather protecting the existing Indian casinos (Abramoff’s Clients) from having new competition in their regions. (5)

Reid Protects ACORN from Investigation

There is little doubt that ACORN is used by the Democrat party to fabricate voters and register illegal aliens in order to benefit their politicians. What’s more, there is little doubt that ACORN efforts benefited Reid’s campaigns.

The Las Vegas ReviewJournal reported that the Las Vegas office of ACORN has been engaged in massive fraud. At least 48% of the registrations turned in by ACORN are fraudulent.

Indeed, it was so obvious that the ACORN Las Vegas office was raided by authorities. They found that 59 inmates from a work-release program at a nearby prison were employed by ACORN and found numerous irregularities. Its field director, Christopher Edwards, pled guilty to two gross misdemeanor counts of conspiracy.

Despite these findings, when the US Senate voted 83-7 to block ACORN from bidding for additional federal grant money, Reid refused to hold a hearing on ACORN’s activities. Even after the scandal broke revealing that ACORN was assisting an underage prostitution operation, Reid claimed such an investigation of ACORN by Congress might distract attention from more important issues. (6)

Another publication reported that Reid wrote Senator Vitter to inform him that his call for an ACORN investigation was driven by his political bias!

In his letter to Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), the majority leader said he would rather not “ask our committees or this Congress to do anything that would detract from efforts” to address bigger priorities, including healthcare reform and economic recovery. He also expressed his concern that Vitter’s “interest in this matter is driven, at least in part, by partisan political views.” (7)

Perhaps Reid’s attitude here is due to the fact that the group which seems to be running ACORN, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), contributed nearly $50,000 to Reid’s campaign committee and leadership PAC. (8)

Reid’s Relationship with George Soros

George Soros is a foreign-born billionaire who is the single largest funder of many Anti-American groups: Move-On.org, Democracy Alliance, Media Matters, Health Care for America Now, Center for American Progress, and Campaign for America’s Future, just to name a few. Soros wants to destroy the principles America was founded upon and turn it into a “socialist paradise.”

Soros is a convicted inside trader who supports open borders, gay rights, abortion rights, increased union power and is hostile to the free enterprise system, even though he made billions off of it. He made his money in a very unethical and, many believe, illegal way – international currency speculation and manipulation. Some believe his fortune was made from drug smuggling since his empire is based offshore in the Netherlands Antilles; the CIA describes this location as “a transshipment point for South American drugs bound for the US and Europe; money–laundering center.” (9)

But Soros’s shady background did not dissuade Reid from taking money from him. Since becoming the Senate Minority leader in 2005 and then the Majority leader in 2007, Reid has had operational control of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. While fundraising for the DSCC, Reid took over $220,000 from Soros, the Soros Fund Management, and various Soros family members. (10)

Reid Violated Federal Election Law by Using Campaign Funds for Christmas Bonuses

In 2006, it was reported that Reid paid Christmas bonuses to staff at the luxurious Ritz Carlton where he lived, using campaign funds. Federal Election law prohibits candidates from using campaign funds for such activity. (11)

Reid Uses his Office to Financially Benefit his Sons

Harry Reid has four sons who all work for Nevada’s largest law firm, Lionel, Sawyer & Collins. All of them have benefited from Reid.

Here’s how the Los Angeles Times puts it:

But Harry Reid is in a class by himself. One of his sons and his son-in-law lobby in Washington for companies, trade groups and municipalities seeking Reid’s help in the Senate. A second son has lobbied in Nevada for some of those same interests, and a third has represented a couple of them as a litigator.

In the last four years alone, their firms have collected more than $2 million in lobbying fees from special interests that were represented by the kids and helped by the senator in Washington.

Apparently such activities are not illegal. They should be. They are certainly unethical. The article details half a dozen examples of specific legislation pushed by Reid which benefited his sons. (12)

The Coyote Springs Land Deal Reid accepted donations from a key Chinagate fundraiser: John Huang.Huang was responsible for arranging illegal contributions for the Clintons; in return their administration signed off on hi-tech exports that helped China upgrade its weapons systems.

Indeed, part of it was originally intended for target practice for a defense contractor, part of it was a habitat for the endangered desert tortoise, part of it was for a power line right of way, and much of the property contained a fragile system of streams important to the local ecosystem.

But Whittemore was also a large donor to Reid. Whittemore and his family gave over $50,000 to Reid and his leadership fund over the last decade. Reid’s sons also received contributions for their campaigns. (13)

So they obviously came to an agreement: Whittemore poured money into Reid’s campaigns and Reid cleared the obstacles, allowing Whittemore to develop land for housing that was previously thought impossible to develop.

Reid inserted language in a land management bill that reallocated the power line corridor. Regarding the tortoise issue, he persuaded the Bureau of Land Management to swap that part of the property for land adjacent to the property. Then he persuaded the EPA to lesson their opposition to the project on grounds that it impacted the ecosystem of the area.

The Los Angeles Times covered the story:

Yet the valley – an hour northeast of Las Vegas – is on its way to becoming a real estate development of historic proportions, with as many as 159,000 homes, 16 golf courses and a full complement of stores and service facilities. At nearly 43,000 acres, Coyote Springs covers almost twice as much space as the next-largest development in a state famous for outsized building projects.

Helping make Coyote Springs come alive was an alliance between a multimillionaire developer and one of the highest-ranking members of Congress: Nevada Democrat Harry Reid, the Senate minority leader and a member of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee.

The relationship between developers such as Harvey Whittemore and politicians such as Reid is especially close in Nevada, home to a small fraternity of movers and shakers,powerful demands of

rapid population growth and a huge amount of federally owned land.

Over the last four years, Reid has used his influence in Washington to help the developer, Nevada super-lobbyist Whittemore, clear obstacles from Coyote Springs’ path. At one point, Reid proposed opening the way for Whittemore to develop part of the site for free – something for which the developer later agreed to pay the government $10 million. As the project advanced, Reid received tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Whittemore. The contributions not only went to Reid’s Senate campaigns, but also to his leadership fund, which he used to help bankroll the campaigns of Democratic colleagues. (14)

Reid Collects $1.1 Million Windfall on Property he didn’t Own

In 2006, it was reported by the Associated Press that he collected $1.1 Million on land he hadn’t owned in three years. As the AP reports:

Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid collected a $1.1 million windfall on a Las Vegas land sale even though he hadn’t personally owned the property for three years, property deeds show. In the process, Reid did not disclose to Congress an earlier sale in which he transferred his land to a company created by a friend and took a financial stake in that company, according to records and interviews.

The Nevada Democrat’s deal was engineered by Jay Brown, a longtime friend and former casino lawyer whose name surfaced in a major political bribery trial this summer and in other prior organized crime investigations. ….In 2001, Reid sold the land for the same price to a limited liability corporation created by Brown. The senator didn’t disclose the sale on his annual public ethics report or tell Congress he had any stake in Brown’s company. (15)

The Del Webb Land Swap

A corporation called Del Webb wanted to acquire and develop 4,700 acres of prime federal land outside of Las Vegas. In order to make this transaction work, Del Webb wanted to use a federal program that swaps federal land for private land that is supposed to be environmentally sensitive. However, the land being offered by Del Webb for the swap was inferior land and not even close to the value of the federal land that he desired. Thus, the taxpayers would take a loss with such a swap.

There were also a lot of other obstacles and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) opposed it for numerous reasons. Once again, Reid intervened with Federal agencies to make it happen; and once again, Reid’s campaign received over $50,000 from Del Webb for his efforts.

Indeed, Del Webb hosted a fund-raiser for Reid at its Phoenix headquarters. As Human Events reported:

In the early 1990s a helpless corporation, Del Webb, wanted to realize its personal dream and develop some land outside Las Vegas. There was just one problem: the government owned much of it and it wasn’t for sale! Employing the simple Reid Estate wealth building system, Del Webb hired a former Reid aide, donated $18,000 to Harry Reid’s campaign fund and then did the obvious

next thing: it purchased “environmentally sensitive” lands 400 miles away near Lake Tahoe.

After two letters to the Interior Department from Sen. Reid and a personal meeting organized by him, at which a government employee said he felt “pressured” by Reid, the Interior Department allowed Del Webb and its partners to swap that environmentally valuable land near Lake Tahoe for the environmentally worthless (but commercially valuable) land in Las Vegas. Reid claims to have done nothing unusual. (16)

Harry Reid Tied to Chinagate Figure

Reid accepted donations from a key Chinagate fundraiser: John Huang. Huang was responsible for arranging illegal contributions for the Clintons; in return their administration signed off on hi-tech exports that helped China upgrade its weapons systems.

Reid then later pushed for the Senate confirmation of the judge who let Huang off with just a “slap on the wrist.” As NewsMax reports:

In June 1999, Huang’s case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Richard Paez, who had six months earlier been nominated to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals by President Clinton. Critics says the assignment presented a massive conflict of interest for Judge Paez, a concern fueled by the sentence he meted out to the Clinton donor in Aug. 1999.

Sen. Reid’s former donor received a mere $10,000 fine, 500 hours of community service and one year probation. When Paez’s 9th Circuit nomination came up for Senate confirmation, Republicans cried foul. Sen. Jeff Sessions complained that Paez had violated Justice Department sentencing guidelines that required Huang to serve jail time, calling the plea bargain “a dangerous agreement” and “a debasement of justice.”

But Sen. Reid went to bat for Huang’s judge, after being asked to reach out to other Mormon Senators by Mrs. Paez, a fellow Mormon. “That’s what I did,” Reid told the New York Times. (17)

Reid Accepted Free Boxing Tickets while a Related Bill was Pending

The AP first reported this ethical lapse:

Senate Democratic Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) accepted free ringside tickets from the Nevada Athletic Commission to three professional boxing matches while that state agency was trying to influence him on federal regulation of boxing. Reid took the free seats for Las Vegas fights between 2003 and 2005 as he was pressing legislation to increase government oversight of the sport, including the creation of a federal boxing commission that Nevada’s agency feared might usurp its authority. (18)

Reid – A First Class Porker

In 2009 alone, Harry Reid requested money for pork projects that ended up costing taxpayers $229,773,429. Reid was responsible for diverting taxpayer money to all kinds of projects that should have never been the responsibility of the Federal Government. A few examples include:

Local transportation projects

Private research institutes

Research on water

Research on job training

Lake Tahoe bus facilities

University projects

Boys Town

Railroad projects

Economic development projects for the town of Wells

Copper wire theft protection programs for Las Vegas

Lighting demonstration projects

Wastewater improvements for city of Henderson

Water treatment for city of Goldfield

School counseling projects for Las Vegas schools

Arts center for Las Vegas

While many of these projects may have merit, they should be funded at the city, county or state level. Forcing taxpayers nationwide to fund projects in Las Vegas or for sewage improvement for Goldfield is outrageous. (19) These projects alone were just in 2009!

One project Reid obtained $54 million for was for a “Magnetic Levitation Train.” The train would go from Disney Land to Las Vegas, but the project was opposed by the Department of Transportation. Nonetheless, numerous companies and individuals tied to this project gave Reid a total of $28,749.

One taxpayer group denounced the project as:

“[A] train to nowhere….We’re wasting tens of millions of dollars on a project nobody believes will be built except Harry Reid.” (20)

As Business Week Writes:

But Reid has pressed ahead, earmarking $9 million between 2000 and 2004 and winning a $45 million authorization in last year’s federal transportation bill. It’s just one small example of how congressional leaders can keep projects alive and how difficult it will be for reformers to stamp out earmarks — the hidden pots of cash that lawmakers tuck into spending bills for favorite projects or constituents. (21)

Reid’s love of pork knows no limits—most of the time it ends up benefiting him in some way or another. One earmark funded a bridge that was to be built in Laughlin, Nevada. The bridge would increase the value of all the property in that area, but what Reid played down, however, was the fact that he owned 160 acres of the land where the bridge was to be built. (22)

Reid even diverted money from the 2009 Defense Budget appropriation bill. So instead of defense funding going to our soldiers to help fight terrorism, Reid diverted this money to projects such as a Reno fire station, a “renewable energy” plant for the National Guard, and ammo “recycling.” (23)

Incredibly, when Reid first became Senate Minority Leader, he vowed to reform earmark abuse. Since then, not only has he failed to reform the abuse, he has become one of the biggest earmark abusers in the Senate.

Reid’s Positions On Issues

Overall Ratings

Some believe Reid is a moderate, but there’s really nothing to substantiate that, except for perhaps his stance on the issue of gun control. Regardless, his most recent ratings are fairly liberal:

His ACU ratings have ranged from 26 in 2003 to 0 in 2007, but since 2002, the average has been 12. His ACLU rating is 44; his ADA rating is a perfect 100; his League of Conservation Voters and NARAL ratings are also perfect 100s; and his pro-Union vote, according to SEIU, is 92.

In other words, he’s hard left on abortion, environment, and union issues. Some commentators have tried to claim that Reid is pro-life because he says he is “personally” opposed to abortion. Well, so is Ted Kennedy and the fact of the matter is that Reid has perfect ratings with all pro-abortion groups.

Gun Control

Even concerning gun control, much has been made of the fact that Reid is allegedly conservative on that issue. However, that’s not totally accurate.

While the NRA gave him a “B” in 2004, Gun Owners of America gave Reid an “F” four out of the last six years. Moreover, the Coalition to Stop Handgun Violence gave him a perfect 100 in 2000 and the Brady Gun Control Group gave him a 71 in 2003. Indeed, just within the last year Reid supported these anti-gun actions:

* Voted for the Stimulus Bill which contained anti-gun language

* Voted for legislation that expanded the amount of land covered by the national parks gun ban.

* Voted to confirm Attorney General Eric Holder who doesn’t believe the 2nd Amendment is an individual right.

* Voted to confirm dozens of other anti-gun appointees, including the Sotomayor nomination

to the US Supreme Court, even though she wrote an opinion that the 2nd amendment did not apply to the states.

* Voted to block legislation to repeal the unconstitutional gun ban in the District of Columbia

Homosexual Issues

On Homosexual issues, Reid told gay rights activists that he opposes his own church’s views on homosexual marriage. He actually criticized the LDS church for backing Prop. 8, the measure which banned same-sex marriage in California.

Reid also signed a letter supporting an anti-Prop 8 march. (24)

But this shouldn’t be surprising since Reid has always voted for gay rights legislation and has received funding from the leading homosexual PAC, the Human Rights Campaign. (25)

War on Terrorism

On foreign policy issues, Reid appears to be clueless. He called for the United States to pull out of Iraq and then laughed about the consequences of doing so. As most experts say, a pull out of our troops would lead to total chaos and ethnic cleaning on an unprecedented level. (26)

Reid also said the surge would not work in Iraq before it even had a chance to work—There’s little doubt such rhetoric demoralized our troops. (27)

Indeed, Reid parroted fabricated facts given to him by the Soros-funded, pro-socialist medicine group “Health Care for America Now.” He claimed that profits for health insurance companies rose 450% since 2000:

There is no business in America that makes more money than the insurance industry – over the last 10 years their profits have increased by 450 percent. (29)

But, according to numerous studies, the average profit margin for health care insurance groups has been 3 to 3.5 % annually, a figure that is less than many industries. (30)

Social Security

According to Reid: “Social Security is the most successful program in the history of the world,” even though it is headed toward collapse. (31)

Ironically, Reid, as a member of Congress, introduced a bill that would allow members of congress to opt out of social security. (32)

Taxes

One of the most shocking statements made by Reid is his claim on a television talk show that the paying of income taxis voluntary.

“Our system of government is a voluntary taxation system.”

His most recent rating with the National Taxpayers Union is 7%, making him one of the most reckless spenders in congress.

Environment

Reid’s views on energy and the environment are unbelievable. He wholeheartedly believes in global warming and will support any and all legislation that will cripple American industry in order to bring us in compliance with the demands of the radical environment movement.

His attitude toward our natural resources is stunning; he told one group this:

Reid opposes all oil drilling, including drilling in ANWR. He opposes nuclear energy; His solution for American energy crisis is solar and wind energy, a ridiculous notion according to energy experts. While economical, solar and wind energy can never meet all our energy needs.

Reid supports amnesty for all illegal aliens and introduced a bill last January that would do just that. The bill contains provisions which are anti-border security and even cite the unification of homosexual partners as justification for the amnesty!(34)

But Reid has also been in favor of open borders. He led an effort to block an amendment that required citizenship verification for those who receive stimulus funds. (35)

When Senator John Cornyn introduced an amendment to end the “Catch and Release” policy, Reid prevented a vote on it. (36)

In 2001, Reid placed an earmark in a bill that would give $5 million to the National Council of La Raza, a radical Hispanic group that advocates open borders. (37)

Harry Reid’s Mob Connections

The connections between Harry Reid and the Mafia are quite numerous, but much of it is complicated. Ironically, Reid wants to build a $50 million dollar “Mob Museum” in Las Vegas, paid for by the taxpayers. (38) Indeed, Reid inserted this money into the Stimulus Bill. Why does Reid want to glorify a murderous bunch of thugs? Does he have fond memories of the days when the Mob ran Las Vegas?

Reid likes to claim he was responsible for chasing the Mob out of Las Vegas and portrays himself as some type of hero by claiming to have “cleaned up Las Vegas and ushered in a new era of responsibility.” (39)

The fact is that the Mob may not be as involved with the casinos as they once were, but they are still heavily involved in Las Vegas and Reid knows this. In fact, the mob has moved into sports betting. Indeed, in a report requested by the U.S. Congress in 1999, the National Gambling Commission estimated illegal sports betting generates around $80 billion; half of that figure betted on football games. (40)

I will outline the major links Reid has with the Mob; most of this is taken from a 4-part report by a mysterious author with the alias “Fedora,” all of which can be accessed in the footnotes.

What Former FBI Agent Joseph Yablonsky Says

Yablonsky was a FBI special agent in charge of the Las Vegas office for four years, until his retirement in 1983. When interviewed by journalist Del Tartikoff in 1996 Yablonsky was asked questions about many Las Vegas figures, including Reid:

Yablonsky: “Harry Reid is a mealy-mouth, and he was in their pocket just like the rest of them. Of course, there’s certain things I know I can’t speak about because of Privacy Act considerations. But he’s a worm, and he was a congressman, back there, representing Mr. Greenspun, you now, trying to agitate in terms of my removal. But all you’ve got to do is

read the pone he read when they had that phony Sinatra licensing.”

Tartikoff: “He wrote a poem?”

Yablonsky explained that, even though Frank Sinatra has lost a gaming license in the State of Nevada back in 1963 after evidence surfaced that mobster Sam Giancana was the real owner of the Cal-Nevada Lodge at Lake Tahoe and that Sinatra was merely a mob-friendly figurehead, Sinatra was back before the state Gaming Control Board in the late ‘70s, seeing a gaming license again.

“After this ridiculous hearing,” he said, “when Sinatra went up for licensing which had no adversary witnesses – McNeil-Lehrer played a half-hour of it on their program without even making a comment, it was so obvious. And when it came up to the Gaming Commission, which you know is [the top tier of] a two-tiered system, Reid was the chairman, and he read this kiss-ass poem. He’s a faker.” (41)

So here you have the former head FBI agent in charge of investigating the mob in Las Vegas admitting Reid was “in their pocket” and relating how Reid voted to return to Sinatra his license to own gaming casinos, even though the Gaming Commission had access to plenty of information indicating that Sinatra remained connected to the Mob.

The Gaming Commission, led by Reid, dismissed strong evidence presented by FBI informants and other police reports. During the proceedings, Sinatra lied about his relationship with Mobster Willie Moretti, claiming he was just “a neighbor.” Sinatra denied making a pay-off to Lucky Luciano and acted like he didn’t know Sam Giancana. When Sinatra was questioned about a 1976 photo of himself with a group of prominent Gambino family mobsters, Sinatra claimed that he didn’t even know these men and that one of them wanted a picture with him and “before I realized what happened, there were approximately eight or nine men standing around me and several other snapshots were made.” (42)

This outrageous pack of lies was accepted by Reid who told the New York Times that he found Sinatra’s defense convincing! As New York Times reporter Robert Lindsey recounted:

All the old charges appeared to have been dispensed with. Yet, at least some observers said afterward that they felt there was less to the hearing than met the eye. Mr. Sinatra was treated with a kind of awe. He and his lawyer-manager, Milton Rudin, appeared to know many of the panel’s questions in advance. Board investigators seemed to base many of their conclusions solely on the singer’s own word; on some points, their fact-finding appeared to have been naively superficial. . .

Several times, when asked a potentially embarrassing question, Mr. Sinatra said that his memory failed him; he also gave some puzzling replies. In answering a question about the incident that led to the loss of his gaming license in 1963, he firmly denied knowing that the late Sam Giancana, a Chicago mobster, had visited the Cal Neva Lodge in violation of state laws barring gangsters from casinos. But when asked if he had ever admitted knowing Mr. Giancana was there, he answered, ”I might have said almost anything; if I said it, I don’t believe I meant it because I never saw him.”. . . Whatever Mr. Sinatra’s relationships might have been with the underworld, no matter whether he had been treated unfairly by the press, as he claims, there appeared to be a desire at the hearing to reinstate him, if for no other reason than that he’s good for business. (43)

Jay Brown is a partner with Reid in a shady land deal that yielded $1.1 million for Reid, a transaction that he failed to report. Brown goes way back with the Mob mostly as one of the Mob’s main attorneys. Brown and his law firm have been counsel for numerous high profile mob cases. As the Washington Post reports:

“Brown’s name has surfaced in federal investigations involving organized crime, casinos and political bribery since the 1980s.” (45); (46); (47)

Brown was also the attorney for a mob-controlled bar called the Crazy Horse and has close ties to the Bononno crime family.

Brown is also a huge donor to Reid, giving him or to his leadership fund close to $60,000. (48)

Reid has Four Sons who Work for a Law Firm that Defends Mobsters

All four of Reid’s sons have worked for Lionel Sawyer & Collins, a firm that also employs John Dawson, an expert in transferring assets offshore. It is believed that Dawson is involved with hiding the assets of convicted Mobster Rick Rizzolo, who was in trouble with the law for using his Crazy Horse bar to engage in illegal activities. Many people were beaten in this bar, some died, but those suing Rizzolo had a difficult time getting their money due to Rizzolo’s assets being hidden. John Dawson’s brother Kent was appointed to the Federal Bench by Senator Reid. And Kent Dawson, as Judge, has a history of giving out lenient sentences to mob connected people. Both Kent and John Dawson are heavy donors to Harry Reid. (49); (50); (51)

The Reno managing partner of Lionel Sawyer & Collins is Frederick Whittemore, whose clients have included casino mogul Steve Wynn, identified in a Scotland Yard report as a front man for the Genovese Mob family and connected to some high profile drug dealers. (52)

Moreover, Rory Reid and Mob attorney Jay Brown both acquired stock in American Enterprises, a company that operates the Table Mountain Indian casino near Fresno, California and Brown became an agent for this company. A short time later, Brown and other officers of this company gave Reid campaign contributions. (53) Is it illegal for Harry Reid’s son to invest in the gaming business along with Mob lawyers and then used their connections to donate to Harry Reid? No, but it certainly raised the question of why so many mob-connected people want to keep Reid in power.

Reid was Investigated for Accepting Mob Bribes as Head of the Nevada Gaming Commission

While Reid was cleared of this charge, lots of questions remain. Federal authorities were unable to prove Reid was being bribed. However, the main evidence for this was a tape recorded conversation involving Kansas City Mobster Joe Agosto. Unknown to Agosto, the FBI was taping him:

“I’ve gotta Cleanface in my pocket.”

Cleanface was the codename Agosto gave Reid. At the time, Reid was chairman of the all powerful Nevada Gaming Commission.

But there was other evidence that Reid favored the Mob while serving as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission. One of his first acts was to approve the sale of the Hacienda Hotel/Casino to an individual named Paul Lowden despite objections by the state’s Gaming Control Board having to do with “hidden associates” of Lowden’s. Lowden later gave $6,000 in campaign contributions to Reid. (54); (55)

Reid also led the Nevada Gaming Commission in approving a deal that allowed associates of Agosto to skim money from the Tropicana. What’s more, Reid also approved applicants for some projects proposed by the Del Webb Corporation, also known to be connected to mobsters Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky. (56)

Indeed, Reid’s tenure on the Nevada gaming Commission appears to have involved approving quite a few projects for people with mob connections. Moreover, it was Jimmy Carter’s Justice Department which “cleared” Reid of the charge of accepting mob bribes. This was a highly politicized department that was also unable to come up with any prosecutions in the Billygate, KoreaGate, ABSCAM, or BCCI scandals, despite massive evidence of corruption. (57)

It was Mob attorney and sometime Reid business partner, Jay Brown, who was accused of funneling casino money to Reid to influence his votes on the Gaming Commission. FBI informants had fingered Brown but when the grand jury questioned him, he took the fifth and refused to turn over the financial records for the Tropicana Casino, for whom he served as counsel. As a result of Brown’s obstructionism, the Justice Dept probe ended up going nowhere. For years after this, Brown was a heavy donor to Reid. (58); (59)

Essentially, Reid now has a political career and is able to claim he was never charged with bribery, all because the jury refused to believe an FBI information AND due to his buddy, Jay Brown, taking the fifth. No exactly a ringing endorsement of Reid’s honesty.

Reid has accepted money from many mob-connected people:

Morris Shenker, a mob attorney associated with the St. Louis Mafia, Meyer Lansky, Jimmy Hoffa and the Dunes Hotel. He funneled campaign money to Reid through his daughter Patty.

Moe Dalitz, associated with the Cleveland mob. He gave Reid $1,500.

Irwin Molasky & Merv Adelson. These were Dalitz partners in the Rancho La Costa development. Molasky has given at least $15,000 to Read and Adelson have given at least $40,000 to either Reid, his leadership committee or the DSCC which Reid controls.

Ed & Fred Doumani, associated with the Chicago Mob, gave at least $6,000 to Reid and the Democrat Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Kirk Kerkorian, former owner of Caesar’s Palace, has Mob ties and gave over $100, 000 to Reid or DSCC.

Steve Wynn, connected to the Genovese mafia family, gave Reid at least $19,000.

Sam & Edgar Bronfman. Sam was a bootlegging associate of Meyer Lansky. Edgar is his son. Both have made substantial contributions to Reid

Joseph Alioto. Alioto is a San Francisco politician related to Milwaukee Mafia boss John Alioto and was implicated in the Koreagate bribe scandal. He is his wife gave $5,000 to Reid. (60); (61)

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About Me

A Texan who loves the truth and hates the lying, cheating, and deliberate prevarication that characterizes so much of our civic discourse these days.
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RIPOSTE, n. 1. Fencing: a quick thrust after parrying a lunge 2. a quick sharp return in speech or action; counterstroke.
- The Random House Dictionary of the English Language...........
You can contact me by sending an email to me at: leorugiens23@gmail.com